Car-brake



(No Model.)

B. SIOKLES.

OAR BRAKE.

No. 543,904. Patented Aug. 6, 1895.

UNITED STATES.

' PATENT OFFICE.

BERT SIOKLES, OF OOVINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF THREE-EIGHTHS TO JOSEPH S. WOHLGEMUTH, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

CAR-BRAK E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,904, dated August 6, 1895. Application filed January 26,1895. Serial No. 536,303. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BERT SICKLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oovington,in the county of Kenton and State of Kentucky,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Brakes; and I do hereby Y declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, reference being had to the annexed drawings, which to form part of this specification.

This invention relates to those brakes which are operated by the rearward shifting of a single rod arranged centrally under each car; and the principal feature of my improvements is a novel combination of duplicate devices that communicate motion from said bar to the brakes proper, either set of said devices being brought into service, as occasion may require, the necessity for such a change from one set to another being hereinafter more fully described.

In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a sectionized elevation of two cars provided with my improved brake apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan of the under side of said cars. Fig. 3

shows a modification of the invention.

A represents a baggage-car or caboose, such as usually placed at the front of a passenger or freight train, and a is one of the axles un- 36 der said car, the axle being provided with an eccentric a that operates the piston of a pump or other fluid or gas compressor B, having a suction-pipe b and. discharge-pipe b. When water is used for operating the apparatus, and

I prefer water for various reasons, the suction-pipe b is carried down to the bottom of an open tank 0, while the discharge-pipe b communicates with a closed reservoir D, having a spring-controlled relief-valve d, from 0 which latter a waste-pipe d leads to saidtank. E is a pipe connecting the reservoir D with a cylinder F, a throttle-valve 6 being applied to said pipe and being so arranged as to be. g V

. above-described brake apparatus the various 5 readily operated either bya person in the car 5 or by the engineer; or this valve can be operated electrically from any of the cars composing the train. Cylinder F has a drain-pipe G leadingto the tank 0, the flow through this pipe being regulated by a valve or cockg. Furthermore, this cylinder is traversed by a valveless piston the rod of which f is coupled to the upperend of a lever H pivoted to the car and having its lower end engaged with a stout rod or shaft I carried by hangers i. Rod I runs longitudinally of the car and as near the center thereof as practicable and should be so arranged as not to interfere with the regular car-couplings, one or more suitable springs 1' being provided to maintain said rod in the normal position shown. The rear end of this rod is threaded to permit the engagement of an adjustable extension J, having a hemispherical headj and lock-nutj'. The next car U in the train is provided with a stout rod or shaft K, carried by hangers 7t and kept in line with the push-rod I of the first car. Rod K has adjustable extensions L L at its opposite ends, the exposed extremities of these extensions being provided with hemispherical heads 1 Z. Secured to this rod is a double rack M, capable of operating either one of a pair of pinions N N, which pinions are journaled in swinging levers O O and have short drums n n projecting from them. 0 0' are curved racks provided with a pair of shoulders or stops that retain the levers O O in either one of two positions.

Secured to the drum n is one end of a Wire rope or chain P, which, after being carried around asheave pof a brake-bar, is then rove through another sheave 19' of another brakebar, and then has its other. end fastened to the car at p". R is another rope or chain attached to said drum, carried around a sheave r, thence through another sheave" r, and finally fastened to the car at r. The other drum n has chains S T applied to it in a similar manner, which chains are rove through sheaves s s t t and then fastened to the car at s t", the object of this system of chains and sheaves being to effect a simultaneous setting of all the brake blocks or shoes applied to a single car.

When an entire train is equipped with the extensions J L L are first adjusted so as to bring their hemispherical heads in close contact with each other, the spring 11', of which any desired number may be used, serving to compensate for any ordinary longitudinal motion of the cars. Before starting the cooks e g are closed and the valve 61 set to blow off at any desired pressure, say from sixty to eighty pounds to the square inch, which is all the attention the apparatus requires. As soon as the train starts the very first revolution of axle (It operates the pump B and causes water or other fluid to be drawn from the tank 0 and forcedinto the reservoir D, where it gradually accumulates; but when the desired pressure is reached the valve 01 automatically opens and allows the surplus to be discharged into the tank 0. Consequently there can be no bursting of the reservoir, although the pump is constantly in operation.

To stop the train it is necessary only to open the valve c and allow the water-pressure to drive forward the piston of cylinder F, which act forces back the push-rod I, whose motion is instantly communicated to the rod K, and as the latter recedes its rack M revolves the pinion N a sufficient distance to wind the chains S T around the drum n, and thereby set all the brakes under the car U, and so on for each succeeding car. The brakes are released by closing the cock e and opening the valve g, which act drains the cylinder F and permits the spring 2" to restore all the opera- Live parts to their normal positions.

The above describes the method of operating the brakes when the end u of the car U is in front;- but if said car should be turned around so as to bring its other end unext to the baggagecar A a slight change must be made on the apparatus. This change consists in throwing the pinion N out of gear with the rack M and engaging the other pinion N with said rack, which act can be accomplished in a few minutes by properly setting the levers O 0. Hence, it is apparent that my apparatus is equally eitective no matter which end of the car happens to be in front, and as the entire action of the apparatus is due to a pushing or thrusting of a single rod under each car, couplings of all kinds are dispensed with but this statement that couplings are dispensed with refers solely to the absence of such devices from the brake mechanism, and is not to be construed as asserting that the cars themselves are not coupled together. Finally, in the modification of my invention (seen in Fig. 3) a disk V is rigidly secured to a car-axle and is adapted to be held by either one of a pair of straps W \V, which latter are coupled to the rod K by links to to. These concave straps are hung upon a fixed shaft or, properly secured under the car; but, if preferred, this arrangement of devices may be adapted to act against the peripheries of the wheels.

I claim as my invention 1. A car provided with a single, central rod that is moved longitudinally, to operate suitable brake-mechanism, in combination with a pair of hand-shiftable devices capable of being readily engaged with said rod, or dis engaged therefrom, for the purpose described.

2. The combination, in a brakeapparatus, of a compressorB; tank C; valve-guarded receiverD cl pipe E e; cylinder F f; and pipe G g, the piston of said cylinder being adapted to move a rod I, for the purpose described.

3. The combination, in a brake-apparatus, of the central,longitudinally-shiftable rod K, having a double rack M; a pair of pinions N, N, capable of being engaged with said rack, and disengaged therefrom, and connections that communicate motion from said pinions to the brake-bars, substantially as herein described.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BERT SICKLES. \Vitnesses:

JAMES H. LAYMAN, ARTHUR MOORE. 

